Mr. O'NeillTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what records are kept of the recognised qualifications acquired by service personnel through their pre-release training.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe main purposes of pre-release vocational training are to prepare service personnel for working life in a civilian environment and to convert existing skills or to provide new ones, in preparation for the employment opportunities available in the civilian labour market. The acquisition of qualifications of the nature referred to by the hon. Gentleman is subordinate to these purposes, not least because of the difficulty of doing so in the 28 days allowed for this training. Successful completion of courses at Ministry of Defence resettlement centres and of Ministry of Defence sponsored courses elsewhere is marked by the issue of certificates, records of which are held by the institutions concerned for a minimum of one year. The possibility of qualifications for those who undertake their pre-release training in the form of attachments to outside organisations does not generally arise, since the purpose is to gain experience of work with civilian companies.